Roof venting closure member including convoluted foam

Abstract

A roofing system, especially suited for use with metal roofing panels includes a V-shaped vent cover located above an air circulation vent at the crest or apex of a sloping roof. A vent closure strip in the form of a composite member is located in the gap between the vent cover and the roofing panels, which contain a series of ribs or protrusions forming an uneven surface. An air impermeable backing strip, which can be a closed cell foam, includes fastening blocks through which fasteners extend to fasten the vent cover to the roofing panels. Air permeable members are adhered to the backing strip. These air permeable members can be a reticulated foam with a convoluted lower surface for compressively conforming to the uneven upper surface of the roofing panels. The air permeable members are more porous and more dense than the air impermeable members.

We claim: 
     
       1. A roof venting closure member allowing air flow through a roof vent while restricting flow of liquids and moisture through the roof vent, the roof venting closure member comprising:
 a backing member having elongate sections and a plurality of spaced fastener blocks extending downward from the backing member to support a vent cover above a roof and in engagement with an upper surface of the backing member, each elongate section and adjacent fastener blocks comprising a one-piece foam member; 
 air permeable foam members, having a lower compression strength than and being more resilient than the elongate sections and the spaced fastener blocks, each air permeable member being secured to the backing member and extending between adjacent fastener blocks below the elongate member, the air permeable foam members having a convoluted lower surface characterized by a plurality of peaks with serpentine channels extending around the peaks between a front and a rear face of the each air permeable member, the convoluted lower surface being more readily deformable than remaining portions of the air permeable foam member from which the peaks extend so that the convoluted lower surface of the air permeable foam member locally compressively conforms to projections extending upwardly from roofing panels forming the roof when the roof venting closure member is assembled between the roof and the vent cover with the backing member and the fastener blocks preventing deformation of the air permeable foam members where not engaged by the projections extending upwardly from roofing panels, so that the serpentine channels remain open. 
 
     
     
       2. The roof venting closure member of  claim 1  wherein backing member is air and liquid impermeable. 
     
     
       3. The roof venting closure member of  claim 2  wherein the backing member comprises a closed cell foam member. 
     
     
       4. The roof venting closure member of  claim 3  wherein the closed cell foam backing member has a density that is less than the air permeable foam member. 
     
     
       5. The roof venting closure member of  claim 4  wherein the air permeable foam member comprises a reticulated foam member. 
     
     
       6. The roof venting closure member of  claim 4  wherein air pockets formed between membranes reduce the density of the closed cell foam members and reticulated foam membranes form a partially collapsed structure in which reticulated foam air passages form continuous air passages even though the reticulated foam member has a greater density than the closed cell foam backing member. 
     
     
       7. The roof venting closure member of  claim 4  wherein the closed cell foam backing member has a mass density that is less than the mass density of the air permeable member. 
     
     
       8. The roof venting closure member of  claim 1  wherein serpentine channels in the air permeable foam member extend between adjacent fastener blocks. 
     
     
       9. The roof venting closure member of  claim 1  wherein the fastener blocks each have a lower surface forming a seat for engaging a rib on roofing panels forming the roof. 
     
     
       10. The roof venting closure member of  claim 1  wherein a flame retardant ultraviolet resistant acrylic latex coating is applied to the convoluted foam member so that the convoluted foam member can be exposed as part of a roof venting system on a roof with air passes through the convoluted foam member and the serpentine channels in the presence of the flame retardant ultraviolet resistant acrylic latex coating.